Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
To day Pappa came here and brought me a letter from Mr. Thaxter.1 Pappa Says that the news of the English East and west India fleet is confirmed.
65As I shall have but very few things to put down I shall keep a Journal only the days when there will be something Extraodinary.
Probably that of 21 Aug. (
Adams Family Correspondence,
3:399–400).
Half holiday. After School went to Pappa's house. We dined there. After dinner we went to buy the spectators.1 At about six o clock Mr. Guile came to Pappa's and stay'd there a little while. They say that an American Frigate has fell in with sixteen sail of merchant vessels and had taken twelve of them.2 At about 8 o clock Mr. Guile went away. Brother Charles and I are to lodge here this night and we shall not go to school till monday next.
See entry for 4 Sept., note 2 (below).
On 12 July an American frigate and two privateer brigs captured fourteen vessels of the Quebec Fleet off the banks of Newfoundland (W.S.C. [i.e. Thomas Digges] to JA, 29 Aug. 1780, Adams Papers; The Annual Register . . . For the Year 1781, London, 1782, p. 3).
This morning young Mr.1 Brants came and stay'd here. At about nine o clock Mr. Deneufville came here, and a little after that Mr. Guile Mr. Ingraham and Captn. Joyner came and we all set out for Mr. Deneufville's country seat. Mr. Guile, Mr. Ingraham, Pappa, and Captn. Joyner, went in one Coach, and Mr. Deneufville another Gentlemen, young Mr. Brants brother Charles and Myself in the other. At about twelve o clock we arrived at Mr. Deneufville's country seat which is at Harlem. We went to take a Walk before dinner. We dined at about three o clock. At about Six o clock we set away from Harlem after the same manner as we came went. We arrived at Amsterdam at about 8 o clock and then Mr. Deneufville and Captn. Joyner left us and young Mr. Brants but Mr. Ingraham and Mr. Guile came in and drank a dish of tea and then they left us. At about ten o clock we went to bed.
JQA's marginal note here, “see page 20 of this volume of my Journal,” refers to his entry of 31 Aug. (above), where Brants is listed among the students who board at the school with JQA.